What should you expect from Kris Medlen in 2013? I'll discuss. I'll also take a look at the ageless Octavio Dotel, the comeback season of Kendrys Morales, how Josh Johnson did for the Marlins, and breakdown one name from the Mariners that you might want to file away for next season.IS KRIS MEDLEN A KEEPER?I'm getting, and totally understandably, lots of questions about Kris Medlen and his value in keeper leagues. Who could blame anyone for wondering about Medlen given what he has done in the second half. Just look at his immense, HOF worthy levels of production. 9-0, 0.94 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, 9.00 K/9, 6.79 K/BB ratio in 95.1 innings However, let's keep things real here. (1) There is no way Medlen will match that ERA or WHIP next season. We all know that. In fact, his xFIP is 2.98 this season, nearly double the 1.57 mark he owns for the season. (2) It's unlikely that Medlen will produce strikeouts at a rate of one per inning in 2013. Even with his great run in the second half this year he's still the owner of a 7.90 K/9 mark over 315.2 career innings. (3) There is no way he will be able to maintain a 6.79 K/BB ratio. In the 21st century there have only been seven seasons with a pitcher throwing 162 innings while posting a 6.79 K/BB ratio (Curt Schilling is the only pitcher to have done it twice). (4) Let's talk workload since I just brought up innings. From 2006-09 Medlen never threw more than 120.1 innings in a season. Last year he threw a total of 15.2 innings coming back from surgery, and that number has soared to 151.1 innings this season. Not only is that a career-high, it's also a massive increase from 2011. It's obviously quite possible that Medlen is able to match or exceed his innings total in 2013, but in terms of his career we're already in uncharted innings pitched territory so that doesn't mean we should just assume that Medlen will throw 200-innings next year. (5) Medlen has a ground ball rate of 53.4 percent this season. That's a terrific number. Unfortunately it's a major increase of the 41 percent mark he entered the season with. Can he replicate that feat in 2013, or will the number regress back toward his previous level? Given that brief breakdown, what are my thoughts about Medlen in 2013? He should be very good. However, there are issues about workload, an increased strikeout rate and an increased ground ball rate. Even if he gives back some of those rates, as appears likely, there is little reason to think that he won't be a successful hurler for the Braves. It's way too early to make any definitive claim on Medlen, but he certainly has the look of a hurler would could be a top-40 starting pitcher in 2013, and before you say he should be listed way higher remember, the guy has yet to thrown 160 innings in a season in his professional career. He's also got no chance to live up to expectations if people expect him to be the second coming of Greg Maddux.MONDAY MUSINGSWhen I write the name Octavio Dotel what image does it conjure up for you? I'd say vagabond with a heater (vagabond = a wanderer). Am I close? Let me see if I can help here. The following is a list of teams that Dotel has pitched for: Mets, Astros, Athletics, Yankees, Royals, Braves, White Sox, Pirates, Dodgers, Rockies, Blue Jays, Cardinals and Tigers this year. At this point, with no 9th inning prospects, he's limited to value in league specific setups only. Still, the guy, at 39 years of age, can still get batters out. In 57 innings this season he's struck out 62 batters, posted a 3.63 ERA an a 1.09 WHIP. In addition to all that goodness, he's also walked a mere 1.89 batters per nine innings, the best mark of his illustrious career and two full batters below his 3.88 career rate. In addition, since the start of last season Dotel has posted a 10.05 K/9 while walking just 2.35 batters per nine innings. No one can pitch forever, but I gotta tell ya, whichever team ends up employing him next year is going to get an effective hurler who will likely be a nice end game grab in single leagues.Josh Johnson's season is over as he was scratched from his last start of the year Monday due to a tight hamstring. Obviously there was no need to push him (Wade LeBlanc will start in his place). Johnson didn't have an elite season, not even close, but he proved that he was healthy, and that's the biggest thing heading into 2013. To be fair he was still pretty darn good, even if not quite up to his previous levels. Don't worry about his 8-14 record, wins and loses really don't tell us much about a hurler. His 3.81 ERA was about league average, but he really pitched better than that mark would lead you to think. His 1.28 WHIP is a four year high, but still a solid effort. His 7.76 K/9 mark is a six year low, but still a solid mark. If he is able to push the walks down, the 3.06 mark per nine that he issued free passes to this year is the first time he had a mark that high since 2007, he should be able to at least maintain, if not improve upon, his overall effort this season.Kendrys Morales went 0-for-5 on Sunday as he returned from some soreness in his ribcage. He's had a nice season for a guy who appeared in 51 games in 2010-11, but it's not one that is back to the levels he showed in 2009 (.306-34-108-86 with a .924 OPS). Morales has gone deep 22 times this year with 73 RBIs and 63 runs scored, but his OPS is just .792. Again, a nice rebirth if you will, but he's been nothing other than a corner infield option in deep mixed leagues. Finally, a name to file away for next season – Erasmo Ramirez of the Mariners. In 16 appearances, including eight starts, Ramirez posted a 3.36 ERA and 1.00 WHIP. In each of his last four outings he has thrown up a quality start, and over his last 10 trips to the hill he has walked a total of eight batters (on the year he issued just 12 walks in 59 innings leading to a 4.00 KBB ratio). If he captures a starting spot with the Mariners next season he'll be a guy to think about rostering in the reserve rounds.Ray Flowers can be heard daily on Sirius/XM Radio on The Fantasy Drive on Sirius 210 and XM 87 from 7 PM EDT Monday through Thursday, and 9p-12a Friday's. Ray's baseball analysis can be found at BaseballGuys.com and his minute to minute musings can be located at the BaseballGuys' Twitter account.